Clutch for corn-planters.



W. S. GRAHAM.

CLUTCH FOR. CORN PLAN'I'ERS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1908.

907,783. I, Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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W. s; GRAHAM. CLUTCH FOR 001m PLANTEBS.

APPLIOATIQN FILED AUG. 19, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR 1 M Q6014; flaw X m: NORRIS PETERS co. wasymsron, n.c.

corn p anter.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. GRAHAM, OF CANTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PARLIN AND ORENDORFFCOMPANY, OF CANTON, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH FOR CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Serial No. 449,344.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Canton, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches for Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in clutches for corn planters ofthe type in which one clutch member is adapted to be driven continuouslyfrom the rear wheels of the planter, and the other clutch member isintermittently thrown into engagement with the first clutch member ateach operation of the check-rower mechanism, and automatically thrownout of engagement when a predetermined amount of rotation of the seedplate has been effected.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved form ofclutch for revolving the seed plates either continuously orintermittently.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is a top or lan View of a portion ofone-half of the Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is thesame as Fig. 2, but showing the clutch member in engaged position. Fig.4 is an end view of the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3, shown from theleft and artly in vertical section. Fig. 5 is a detai being an isometricview of the supporting block, dog, and actuating part of the clutchmember.

In the drawings,6 indicates the front or runner frame of the cornplanter, provided with runners or furrow openers 7, seed-box 8containing seed-plate 9, all of the usual form and description.

10 indicates a rear frame in which is j ournaled the axle or shaft 11,provided with the usual carrying wheels 12 upon its ends.

1313 indicate sprocket wheels which are keyed or otherwise secured tothe shaft 11.

14 indicates the seed or operating shaft which is journaled on the frontframe 6 in the usual manner.

15 indicates a head upon the end of the front frame and carryingfork-lever 16 and rollers 17, all of the usual form and description.

18 indicates a sprocket wheel which is revolubly mounted on the seedshaft 14 by means of a hub 19, held against longitudinal movement bysome suitable means, as cotter-pin 20.

21 indicates a sprocket chain which connects either of the sprocketwheels 13 or 13 to the sprocket wheel 18.

22 indicates a disk which is preferably formed integral with the hub 19of the sprocket wheel 18 and is provided with a flange 23, having uponits interior ratchet teeth 24, as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

25 indicates a circular casing which is journaled upon the seed-shaft14, having its open side edge bearing close against the inner edge offlange 23. The casing 25 is provided with a hub 26 from which extendsdownward a projecting arm 27 which is suitably bored to receive therock-shaft 28 connected with and operated by the fork-lever 16 of thecheck-rower mechanism. The object of this arm 27 is to prevent thecasing 25 from turning with the seed-shaft 14. The casing 25 is providedwith an opening 29 in its side at its bottom, above the rock-shaft 28,as is best shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

30 indicates a block which is suitably secured to the shaft 14, andwhose bottom edge is rounded, as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so asto travel around inside the casing 25.

31 indicates ears which project from the block 30.

32 indicates a dog which is pivoted between the ears 31 by means of apin 33, and is adapted at its outer ends to engage with the ratchetteeth 24. The dog 32 is located to one side of the central verticalplane of the block 30, in register with the inner surface of flange 23on disk 22.

34 indicates a pin which is secured to or formed integra with the dog 32near its outer end projecting laterally therefrom into a position withinthe casing 25.

35 indicates a plunger which is provided at its upper end with a slot 36which engages the pin 34 supporting the plunger 35 therein. The otherend of the plunger extends downward through a suitable opening in theblock 30, and is of such length that when the arts are in position shownin Fig. 2, the ower end of the plunger will extend through the opening29 beyond the interior perphery o the casing 25, as is best shown in ig.2. The lower end of this plunger, as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, isrounded to generally conform to the arc of the circle of the comes intoengagement with one of the interior of the casing 25, so that whenpushed inward as hereinafter described, it may ride around the interiorof the casing.

36 indicates a spiral spring, one end of which is connected to asuitable lug, as 37, in the upper end of the plunger 35, and the otherby a suitable hook 38 to the lower end of the block 30. 'lhe dog 32 isprovided on its under side with a stop 39 which is adapted to rest uponthe surface of the block between the ears 31, as is best shown in Fig.2, and limit the downward motion of the said dog and plunger. 'iheoperation of the spiral spring is to normally and yieldingly hold theparts in the position shown in l ig. 2.

40 indicates a short arm which is secured to the rock-shaft 28 by a setscrew 41, or in any other approved manner. ihe arm 40 is of such alength that when the rock-shaft is rocked by the check-rower mechanism,the arm 40, traveling in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2 willbe brought into contact with the lower end of the dog 32, forcing itinward into the position shown in Fig. 3, and carrying with it the dog32 so that the engaging end of the dog comes into engagement with one orthe other of the ratchet teeth 24 in the interior of the flange 23. Asthe plate 23 is being continuously rotated by means of the sprocketchain 21 and the sprockets 13 or 13 and 18, the moment thatthe engagingend of the dog 32 ratchet teeth 24, as is best shown in Fig. 3, theblock 30 will be carried around by this engagement, rotating theseed-shaft 14, and suitablegearing, as 4142, being interposed, theseed-plate 8 will be rotated as long as the clutch members are engaging.Of course the arm 40 will be thrown back to. its normal position by theoperation of the rock-shaft, as soon as the fork-lever is re leased fromacheck-rower wire, but the dog 32 can not drop from the. position intowhich it has been forced until one revolution has been completed. Fhelower end of the dog 32 rides around upon the inner surface of thecasing 25 until the opening 29 is reached. Then the dog 32, drawn by thespring 36 drops down into its original position in the opening 29 and isready for another. operation. It will of course be understood that thegearing between the seed-plate and the seed-shaft 14 is so arranged thatwith each operation of the seedshaft 14 by the clutch mechanism abovedescribed, the seed-plate will be given a definite predetermined portionof a rotation, causing the desired number of seed-cups, which arepreferably of the single seed-cell type, to pass under a cut-off andover the usual discharge.

In the mechanism shown, where the seedplate has 12 seed-cups, thegearing ofthe seed-plate to the shaft is as four to one, so

that each revolution of the seed-shaft produces one-fourth of arevolution of the seedplate, carrying three seed-cups under the cutoiland over the discharge. This of course may be varied, as will be readilyunderstood, in any approved and ordinary manner.

hen: it is desired to use the machine as a drill instead of as acheck-rower, the fork leveris tied back so as to bring the arm 40 "intoand retain it in the position shown in Fig. 3. This will prevent theplunger from dropping into the opening and releasing the dog. is theparts rotate, the lower end of the plunger rides over the top of the arm40, and the clutch members will therefore be kept continuously inengagement, and the seed shaft, and consequently the seedplate, will becontinuously rotated for drilling the corn.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is',

1. In a planter, the combination with a seed-plate, a seed-shaft,gearing between said seed-shaft and said seed-plate, a rockshaft,check-rower mechanism for operating said rock shaft, of a clutch memberrotatably mounted on said rock shaft and having ratchet teeth, a casingjournaled on said seed shaft, means for holding said casing againstrotation with said seed-shaft, a block secured to said seed-shaf twithin said casing, a dogpivoted on said block and adapted to engagesaid ratchet teeth, a plunger mounted in said block connected with saiddog and adapted when forced inward in said casing to effect anengagement between said dog and said ratchet teeth and to ride around insaid casing, and means on said rock shaft adapted-when the same isrocked to force said lunger inward.

2. In a planter, the com ination with a seed-plate, a seed-shaft,gearing between said seed-shaft and said seed-plate, a rock shaft,check-rower mechanism for operating said rock shaft, of a clutch memberrotatably mounted on said rock-shaft and having ratchet-teeth, a casingjournaled on said seedshaft, means for holding said casing againstrotation with said seed-shaft, a block secured to said seed-shaft withinsaid casing, a dog pivoted on said block and adapted to engage saidratchet teeth, a plunger mounted in said block pivotally connected atone end with said dog and normally adapted to yieldingly hold said dogout of engagement with said ratchet teeth and when forced inward in saidcasing to effect an. engagement between said dog and said ratchet teethand ride aroundin said casing, and means on said rock-shaft adapted whenthe same is rocked to force said lunger inward.

3. n: a planter, the combination with a seed-plate, a seed-shaft,gearing between said seed-shaft and said seed-plate, a rockshaft,check-rower mechanism for operating said rock shaft, of a clutch memberrotatably mounted on said rock-shaft and having ratchet teeth, a casingjournaled on said seedshaft, and provided with an opening, means forholding said casing against rotation with said seed-shaft, a blocksecured to said seedshaft within said casing, a dog pivoted on saidblock and adapted to engage said ratchet teeth, a plunger mounted insaid block pivotally connected at its inner end with said dog andnormally spring-projected into said opening and adapted when forcedinward in said casing to effect an engagement between said dog and saidratchet teeth and to ride around in said casing, and a projection onsaid rook-shaft adapted when the same is rocked to register with saidopening and to force said plunger inward.

4. In a planter, the combination with a seed-plate, a seed-shaft,gearing between said seed-shaft and said seed-plate, a rockshaft,check-rower mechanism for operating said rock-shaft, of a clutch memberrotatably mounted on said rock-shaft and having ratchet teeth, a casingjournaled on said seedshaft, and provided with an opening, means forholding said casing against rotation with said seed-shaft, a blocksecured to said seedshaft within said casing, a dog pivoted on saidblock and adapted to engage said ratchet teeth, a plunger mounted insaid block pivotally connected at its inner end with said dog andadapted when forced inward to effect an engagement between said dog andsaid ratchet teeth and ride around in said casing, and a s ringconnecting said plun er and said bloc-i; and adapted to normadlyyieldingly project the lower end of said plunger into said opening, anda rojection on said rock-shaft adapted when the same is rocked to engagethe lower end of said plunger and to project the same within saidcasing.

WILLIAM S. GRAHAM. Witnesses GILMAN ANDERSON, S. N. ARNOLD.

